Midtown restaurant/bar Kupros closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19

Kupros Craft House is closed indefinitely after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, the midtown Sacramento restaurant and bar announced on Facebook Monday afternoon.

“We are sorry to announce that one of our employees has just tested positive for COVID-19,” the restaurant posted. “As a result, we’re taking immediate action to close down the restaurant until further notice. We’ll be performing a deep cleaning and sanitation of the entire premises and staff members who potentially had contact with the employee are getting tested.”

Sacramento County restaurants have been barred from serving customers indoors since July 2. Kupros’ front patio and sidewalk extension have remained busy during that time.

Steve Tokuhama opened what was then known as Kupros Bistro in 2010, 100 years after the building at 1217 21st St. was constructed. It became Kupros Craft House in 2013, and has developed a loyal following for slightly refined bar food like loaded sweet potato fries, a blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich and grilled pork skewers with okra, apple and corn.

Kupros’ most popular menu item prior to the shelter-in-place order, though, might have been “can roulette.” Customers paid $4 for a 12-ounce can of craft beer randomly selected by the bartender, creating a fun mix-and-match game among friends when the prospect of sharing drinks wasn’t so frightening.

At least five Sacramento County restaurants temporarily closed last week after employees tested positive for COVID-19 or came in contact with an infected person. More than 7,000 Californians have died and 320,000 have tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.